Science Fiction: GU: Justice Net (Science Fiction, Dystopian, The G.U. Trilogy Book 1)

by David Archer

  Three years earlier, he had put in a six-month stint in the Authority's HR section, entering new employee data into the system. On a whim, once, he had created a completely fictional employee named Haywood Pennyfarthing, just to see what the cloud would do. To his surprise, it accepted the information without question, so he assigned Mr. Pennyfarthing to the Special Investigations Unit, Squad Z. Squad Z was essentially a top-secret unit that acted autonomously, without any supervision from the Authority. No one had access to records of what members of the unit did, and even the members themselves were not aware of the identities of everyone involved.

  Martin had quickly logged into the system under Pennyfarthing's identity, and discovered that it allowed him to do many different types of surveillance without anyone knowing what he was up to. He began using it for personal reasons, keeping track of friends and family members without their knowledge. It was through Pennyfarthing that he had learned only a year earlier that his former DP had been carrying on an affair with one of his dearest friends. That knowledge had allowed him to find evidence of the affair and confront her, bringing the relationship to an end.

  That morning, he had used Pennyfarthing's identity to access the commonway cameras near Charlotte's apartment at about the time he expected Carson to be leaving for work. Sure enough, he was able to watch as she kissed him goodbye. Her body language seemed to indicate a tension, as if there might be some problem between the couple.

  Could it be that she might be having thoughts of leaving the relationship?

  He logged out of that system, then checked all of the communications between Carson and Charlotte from the day before. Nothing he saw indicated that she had mentioned her meeting with him, but he couldn't be sure she hadn't told him privately while they were at home.

  He did notice, however, that Charlotte mentioned a meeting with a wedding planner. She had asked Carson when he might be free the following week, to go over things like what type of reception they would have. Martin dug deeper into her emails and found a communication with the wedding planner that indicated the couple was “considering” getting married but had not yet set a date.

  A call came in that took his attention away from Charlotte for a while, and he let her move to the back of his mind. Part of him, the part that was always looking for an angle, began subconsciously thinking of a way to drive a wedge between them. He knew that she was attracted to him, so he was fairly certain that he could manage to win her attention if she were free and single. A number of ideas rolled through his barely noticed thoughts, but nothing solidified into a plan of action.

  His holo-tab chimed to tell him that he had a visitor, and he glanced at it to see Charlotte's face. He tapped acceptance, and she was shown to his office only a moment later. He rose to his feet as she entered and stepped around his desk with his hand extended.

  “I made it on time,” Charlotte said with a giggle, and Martin knew that she was nervous. He clasped her hand in both of his when she offered it, pressing it for a couple of seconds longer than a mere greeting might require.

  “You sure did,” he said with a smile. “My goodness, I had forgotten just how beautiful you are! Have a seat, have a seat.” He pointed at the chair in front of his desk, and she giggled again as she sat down. The giggle made her sound like a young schoolgirl, and only served to make her even more appealing to him.

  He took his own chair behind the desk, then picked up a tablet. “I've transcribed your statement, and I'd like you to read through it and be sure it's exactly how you wanted to say these things. If it's right, just sign at the bottom and we can begin going over it together.” He passed the tablet to her, noticing that her blouse was buttoned in such a way that her cleavage showed nicely whenever she leaned forward.

  Martin sat quietly as Charlotte read through the statement. He kept his eyes on her, knowing that she was aware of his gaze, and even let it flick down to the opening in her blouse from time to time. He was making it obvious that he was attracted, and he caught her grinning and biting her bottom lip a couple of times when it was clear that he was admiring her body.

  “That's how I remember it,” she said. “I just sign here at the bottom?”

  He looked her in the eye and gave her his best smile. “Yes, right there. Just use your finger, that's all it takes.” She stared into his eyes for a moment, then looked down at the tablet again as she signed. She made a point of leaning even further forward as she handed it back, and he got an even better view.

  “Okay, that's perfect,” he said. “Now, let's go over the kind of things the prosecutor is going to ask you.”

  “Okay. I'm—I'm ready.” She licked her lips, and Martin felt a thrill rush through him.

  “Okay, I'm going to ask questions the way I expect he'll be doing it when we go out to meet him. Ms. Reynolds, can you tell me how you happened to be nearby when Mr. Cooper attacked Ms. Miller?”

  “Oh, well my DP and I had been down on Ground Level for lunch at one of the restaurants, and we had decided to rent one of the pedal boats and go on the river for a while. He had walked off to rent one and was coming back to get me, so I sat down on one of the benches right there. I was just waiting for him to get back with the boat.”

  Martin smiled and nodded. “Perfect, you didn't volunteer any extra information. Okay, can you tell me when you first became aware of the attack?”

  “Yes. I was just sitting there enjoying the breeze along the Riverside when I heard a scream behind me. I turned around and looked, and saw Mr. Cooper with his hand on Ms. Miller's throat, and he seemed to be punching her in the face.”

  “And how did you react when you saw that?”

  “Well, I guess I got to my feet, and started to walk toward them. I think I had some idea of trying to talk to them, but I never got that far.”

  “Why was that?”

  Charlotte bit her bottom lip for just a second, then said, “I saw him reach into his pocket, and then I saw a knife in his hand. I just sort of froze right then, because I didn't know what was happening.”

  “And what did you see then?”

  “Well—I saw Mr. Cooper stab Ms. Miller, he just shoved the knife right into her. She screamed even louder, and then he suddenly just let her go and she fell down. I screamed then, and I think he looked at me for just a second, but then he turned around and started running. I'm afraid I just sort of froze up then, and just stood there staring, but that's when the police officers came on their scooters.”

  “What happened then?”

  Charlotte smiled. “Oh, it was awesome! The two policemen, they told him to stop running, but he turned around and sort of threatened them with the knife, so they shot him with their SALT guns. I heard the shots, and I heard the pellets hit him, and then all of a sudden he was just coughing and gagging and down on all fours. I mean, I know what the SALT guns do, but I've never seen them in action before, not for real. It was incredible.”

  “In your opinion, Ms. Reynolds, did the officers act professionally?”

  “Oh, yes, absolutely! After they shot him, they put on their filtering masks and went and arrested him. It was actually incredible to watch. They were calm, and treated him with respect, or at least it seemed that way to me.”

  Martin grinned. “And were you then interviewed by Inspector James, about what you saw?”

  Charlotte smiled and turned pink. “Yes, I was.”

  “And is Inspector James as handsome and dashing as you would expect a detective inspector to be?”

  Charlotte giggled again, and Martin winked at her. “He was incredibly handsome,” she said through her giggles, “and very, very dashing.”

  Martin laughed. “Okay, the prosecutor probably won't ask you that last question, but you can't blame a guy for fishing for a compliment from such a beautiful woman, now can you?”

  Charlotte smiled and lowered her gaze to the floor. “I seem to be getting a few compliments, myself,” she said. “And if I have to answer honestly, well…”

/>   Martin sat there and smiled at her for another moment. “Well, we've gotten done a lot quicker than I thought we would, so it's a little early for lunch. We could go on up and see the prosecutor now, then find a bite to eat, or if you would feel like just a walk along the river, I don't have anything pressing me this morning.”

  Charlotte felt her breath catch, as nervousness flooded through her body. She knew she should decline the invitation, but he was such a handsome man, and surely there was no harm in just a little light flirtation. She took a deep breath, and said, “I think I'd like that.”

  Martin smiled, and rose from his chair. He stepped around the desk and extended a hand, which she took, then lifted her up so that she was standing face-to-face with him. “Thank you,” he said. “You've just made this a wonderful day for me. Shall we?”

  He could tell she was breathing rapidly, and realized that he probably could have gotten a kiss just then, but it was too soon. If he pressed himself on her too quickly, she might bolt and run. They left the station and followed the walkway the same direction that she and Carson had gone, and Martin noticed that she stayed very close by his side. Their arms actually brushed against one another from time to time, but she wasn't pulling away.

  “It's always so beautiful down here,” Charlotte said. “It almost feels like we're outside.”

  “Yes, it's one of the things I love about working down here. The grass and the trees, it keeps everything smelling so clean and fresh. Some of the upper levels, where people aren't as diligent about keeping things clean as they should be, they start to smell pretty rank sometimes. I've worked in those areas, too, so when I got the chance to transfer down here, I grabbed it.” He glanced over at her. “Of course, it's a little nicer right now than it usually is.”

  Charlotte blushed, but smiled. He waited to see if she would protest that she was in a relationship, but she didn't say a word.

  They walked along for awhile, and talked as they did. Martin learned a lot about her, including her desire to make a difference in the world with her novels. “Mostly, what I write at the moment is romance novels, geared toward younger women. I think I've got something bigger inside me, though; I'd like to write something really important.”

  Martin shrugged. “Maybe you could write some mysteries, or police procedurals. Let people know what things are like in my world. That could be pretty important, don't you think? I'd be happy to be a consultant, or whatever you call it.”

  She turned to him with a huge smile. “Really? Oh, that could be awesome! Especially if I could tell some of the real stories, write about some of your big investigations. I'm sure you've got some exciting stories to tell.”

  He smiled, and waggled his head from side to side. “I've got a few,” he said. “I don't know if you remember the serial killer that was loose on Sixty-Four last year, but I was the guy who managed to catch him. He killed eleven women before we tracked him down, and they brought me in on it after his ninth victim. I actually managed to save the woman who would've been number twelve.”

  “Okay, see? That's the kind of story I'd really like to write! Do you have any notes about it? Anything I could look through?”

  “I'm sure I could manage to sneak some of my investigation notes out to you,” he said, laughing. “Just don't let on that I did, it's sort of frowned upon.”

  “Oh, I'd never tell,” she said. “Trust me, I can keep a secret!”

  That was a cue if ever he heard one, Martin thought. He reached out and caught her hand, bringing her to a stop and turning her to face him. “Can you really? Because I've got a secret.”

  Her breathing was ragged and rapid, but she smiled. “Oh? And what might that be?”

  She kept smiling as he leaned closer, and when their lips met, she didn't resist. It was a light kiss, one that could be taken as simply flirtatious, but without being threatening. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed and she was smiling.

  He turned and started walking forward again, but didn't let go of her hand. She opened her eyes and followed along, still smiling.

  Inside, Charlotte was trembling. She knew exactly what was happening, that she was risking the possibility of an affair, but she was sure that Martin would be discreet, and there was a part of her that was yearning for the sort of attention he was offering. She wondered how she would feel later, when she came face-to-face with Carson again, but for the moment all she cared about was this wonderful feeling that she was desirable, and desired.

  Martin led her to an elevator a short distance away, and they rode up to the level where the prosecutor's office was located. He introduced her to David Starling, the prosecutor on the Cooper case, and sat by while they went through the same kind of questions he had already asked her. Charlotte gave clear, concise answers, and Starling made it obvious that he was pleased with her performance. She was told when to appear for the hearing, and then Martin suggested they go to a nearby café for lunch.

  As they ate, they talked about the possibility of Charlotte writing the serial killer story, which led to planning when they would be able to meet to go over his notes. Charlotte mentioned that she was generally free during the day, and privately thought about how she was going to explain this to Carson.

  “Where would you like to meet up?” Martin asked. “I mean, I really can't discuss this sort of thing around my office. Somebody might start wondering about how much information I'm giving out.” He smiled, to soften the implication that he might be breaking rules.

  Charlotte thought for a moment, but then forced a smile onto her face. “Well, if it's convenient for you to meet during the day, you could come by my place. I mean, if that's not proper, we could go somewhere else, but…”

  Martin smiled. “Well, that depends,” he said. “Can you put up with my eyes drinking in your beauty while we talk? If we're someplace private like that, I'm afraid I'd find it very difficult to pretend that I don't see how deliciously beautiful and sexy you are.”

  Charlotte blushed again, but she didn't stop smiling. “Oh, I think I can handle you.”

  ELEVEN

  By the time Martin got back to his office, he was already planning to get Carson Pace out of Charlotte Reynolds' life. Pace was a wimpy little guy, and a woman as beautiful and sensual as Charlotte deserved better. To Martin, that meant she deserved him, and he'd already decided that he deserved a woman like her.

  The question on his mind was how to go about it. Carson had no criminal record of any kind, and as far as Martin could tell, he had never done anything that could be used against him. Fortunately, Martin didn't have to rely on facts.

  Occasionally, when an investigation is stalled even though there's no doubt of a suspect's guilt, police officers are faced with the choice of whether to manufacture evidence in order to make the case. Martin had been in that position a few times, and had quickly learned that the greater good was a sufficient motivator in making such a decision. More than once, he had altered evidence or coached a witness to be sure he was able to get his man or woman.

  To him, this was the same situation. Charlotte Reynolds was in danger, though not physically. The danger to her was that she would spend years in a relationship that left her unfulfilled and unsatisfied. He was certain of this, because she responded so easily to his overtures. By inviting him to come to her home for private consultation meetings, and making it clear that she enjoyed his flirtation, she had essentially told him that she was open to the possibility of an affair.

  A happy, satisfied woman would not have responded that way. Martin knew this, because he had made similar overtures in the past and had them rejected. Charlotte was ripe for the plucking, and while she may only be thinking of a brief fling, Martin wanted more. He wanted her as his own woman, his own lover. Nothing else would satisfy him.

  He also felt that the time to strike was before any such affair began. If something happened to take Carson away from her while she was being unfaithful to him, there was the strong possibility she would blame h
erself. Many women had felt that the loss of a Partner while they were having an affair was some form of punishment being inflicted upon them, and Martin didn't want to risk Charlotte having such feelings. That could interfere with his own plans.

  How to go about it, though? That was the answer he had to come up with. The simplest way, of course, would be to implicate Carson in a crime. He sat down at his desk and called up a list of current unsolved investigations.

  Carson worked at the University as a professor, so he looked for any such case that might be connected to the school. There were a number of them, ranging from one murder case that was two years old to some missing funds from the sciences department's budget. He scanned through the list and found the ideal case to hang on him.

  It was a case of rape, or actually three cases. Someone, a man whose face had been concealed under a hood, had managed over the last eighteen months to corner three different female students, subdue them and force them into sexual acts. Ironically, the description given by one of these students referred to the man as “about the size of Professor Pace.” The investigating inspector had checked on Pace, and concluded that his claim of being alone in his office at the time was believable.

  It wasn't, however, substantiated by anyone else. The only corroboration for his alibi was a clip of video that showed him arriving at the lobby of his office two hours earlier, and another that showed him leaving the lobby more than an hour after the rape occurred. The time in between seemed to show that he had not left, but there were dozens of people who had gone in and out during that time. The receptionist had been off that day, so there was no one stationed in the lobby who could be questioned about the comings and goings of the professor.